


Wild Young Hearts

by misura



Category: Kitchen Confidential
Genre: M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-09 13:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Being a wild young man, Jim has gone and gotten himself a tattoo.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carolinecrane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/gifts).



> I feel that I should say right here, right now that Ramon does not have a single line in this. I tagged for the pairing because it's mentioned, but mainly, this is Jim, showing off his ink.
> 
> thanks for giving me an excuse to dust off these DVDs, and happy Yule!

"Ooh, Jiminy, is that a tattoo?" Seth asked, like it wasn't obvious.

"My name's Jim," Jim said. "And yes. Yes, it is." He considered leaving it at that, but Seth was basically okay. Besides, if he showed Seth, then Seth would tell Teddy and Teddy would tell Steven and Steven would tell Jack, and once Jack knew, the whole kitchen would, too.

Way less trouble than walking around with his shoulder bared all day.

"I just figured that it was time, you know," he went on. "I mean, at some point in a relationship, you got to make a commitment."

"Well, a commitment or an exit via the door, followed by somehow losing their number." Seth chuckled. "A window works, provided you're on the groundfloor and I'm just messing with you. C'mon, let me look at that bad boy."

Jim scrunched up his shirt a bit more. "It didn't even really hurt all that much."

"Let's see, what - 'I love - ' oh-ho." Seth whistled, which gave Jim a bit of a warm glow on the inside, and then he slapped Jim's shoulder, which did not. "Nice!"

"I know, right?" Jim said. He felt sort of relieved, which was silly, he told himself. "So you don't think it's weird or anything, right? I really don't want people to start treating me differently or something."

"Naw," Seth put his arm around Jim's shoulder, the way he did sometimes with Jack or Steven. "You're Jim, right? Our Jim. Trust me, it's going to take a lot more than a tattoo to change that."

"Good," said Jim. "Great."

 

By the time the dinner rush was dying down, everyone in the kitchen seemed to know. Jim tried to pretend he didn't notice the looks.

"So I hear Little Jimmy finally turned into a man," Steven said.

"I uh really wouldn't know about that," said Jim. "I mean, it's just a tattoo. You want to see it?"

"It's not in any ahem naughty place, is it? Of course it isn't."

"It's on his left shoulder, man," Teddy said. "Weren't you listening to Seth earlier?"

" 'course I wasn't listening. Busy, wasn't I?" Steven turned back to Jim. "Well, haven't got all night. Where's this proof of manhood then? Is it teensy tiny, or merely very small?"

Jim sighed and pulled up his sleeve. "It's actually just regular-sized."

"Ha. I'll believe that when I see it. Which is not a request by the way and - well, well, what do we have here? 'I love your mom'?"

"What?" said Jim, before he realized his mistake. Stupid. "Oh, har, har. Not funny, man."

"Actually, I think it's sort of hilarious." Steven mimicked tipping his hat. "Well played, sir."

"Proof, if any was needed, that too many Your Momma jokes will rot your brains," Teddy said.

"Of course, this may prove to be one of those decisions you live to regret in another oh two years? But hey, live for the now, right? Drinks, later tonight? First round on me. For Mom."

"Guys," Jim said. "Again. This isn't funny." He tried to crane his neck for a proper look himself, but the angle wasn't working.

Steven grabbed a bottle of something and took a swig. "Why, what's it supposed to say?"

"I - " This, Jim realized, was one of the reasons why he'd wanted to get a tattoo. "Uh. Don't freak out, okay? I realize that it might come as a bit of a surprise, but we're having a great, loving relationship with mutual respect and commitment and - and stuff like that. We have a chore wheel."

"They have a chore wheel," Steven said. "Ah, true love. Let me guess, she's your cousin? Childhood sweethearts? Recently come to New York, eager to be protected from the dangers of the big, bad city by our dashing hero?"

"Speaking of things that rot your brains, maybe lay off the trashy romance novels?" Teddy asked.

"Well, I need something to distract me while your mom's taking her nap, don't I?"

"It's Ramon," Jim said quickly, looking at the floor. It had looked cleaner by the beginning of the evening. It always did.

"Pardon, what's Ramon?"

"I guess they misheard or something." Jim had been a bit nervous. That happened, didn't it? There'd been all that buzzing and that lady with all the leather. They'd had some pretty loud music on, too. He should have written it down or something, make sure they got it right.

"Wait," Teddy said. "You're saying your tattoo was supposed to read 'I love Ramon'? Our Ramon? Ramon who comes after you with a crowbar if you disrespect him by stepping on his shadow? That Ramon?"

Steven shook his head. "Naw. Got to be a different bloke, right? A rose as sweet by any other name. Although I do admit, I'd have expected a Ramona. Jack's going to be smug for a few hours. Ah well. Win some, lose some."

"He's a nice guy, all right?" Jim said. "Sweet, considerate - he makes me feel special, you know? He's teaching me his secret techniques."

Steven waggled his eyebrows. "Kinky."

"Dish washing techniques!" Jim said. "Gosh, you guys. Not everything is always about the physical stuff."

"I resent that comment," Teddy said. "Besides, everyone knows that's bullshit. It's always about the sex. We just tell women it isn't so that they'll let their guards down. It's a chick thing."

"Not that we can expect our Jim here to know about that," Steven said. "Playing for the other team, isn't he? Smart kid. Finally figured out to move to greener pastures where the competition's not quite so far out of his league."

"Right." Teddy rolled his eyes. "Not like people are actually gay or something."

"I didn't say that, did I? I never said that. Besides, Jim had that thing a while back, didn't he?"

"Oh, sure." Teddy slapped his forehead. "That thing. With your mom, wasn't it? Maybe she turned him off women for good. Boom. Up top, Jimbo."

"Um," Jim said. "You think they'll give me my money back or something if I go back?"

"No way, no how," Steven said. "Zero chance."

"Criminy."

 

Having given the matter some thought, Jim decided to seek out the advice of the one man who could be relied upon to provide a fresh, clear perspective.

"Well, it's a bit awkward, sure, but I wouldn't call it a deal breaker," Jack said, taste testing his new sauce and grimacing. "I mean, would I go out with a girl if she had some other guy's name tattooed on her shoulder? Sure. Why not? Not my problem if she decides to cheat on her guy, is it? Not unless he walks in on us with a shotgun or something."

"Did that ... actually happen to you?"

"It was a baseball bat and I don't want to talk about it," Jack said. "Also, they were twins."

"The ... " Jim frowned. "Okay."

"Anyway, I'm all reformed now," Jack said. "Brand new Jack right here. So you're gay, so what? It's okay to be gay, isn't it? Hey, that rhymes! I should write songs. Or poems."

"Um." Jim looked for a diplomatic way to phrase his question. "No offense, but are you okay? You sound a little - you know. Not like you've been drinking or something, just ... you know."

"No, Jim, I don't know. And guess what? I don't care." Jack beamed at him. "So how about you run along and go kiss and make up with your girlfriend, and I'm sure it will all work out just fine."

"Um. Boyfriend. You know, Ramon."

"You know you said 'you know' like, three times in thirty seconds, right?"

"I can do better," Jim said. "More."

Jack pointed with a very sharp knife. "Go."

Jim went.

 

"Anyway, that was my day," Jim said, later that night. "Crazy, right?"

Ramon made a sound. It sounded like the sort of sound someone might make when they were asleep, like a snore, but Jim knew better.

"Thanks," he said. "You're a really great listener, you know? Sorry. Jack says I say 'you know' too much. Hey, want to hear one last crazy thing?"

Ramon turned his back on him.

"I took a shower before I came to bed - well, obviously, that's not the crazy thing. You know. Sorry, doing it again. So I took a shower and the tattoo - it's just gone. Poof. Like it was never even there. Crazy right?"


End file.
